Process for preparing block copolymers by degrading a preformed polymer in the presence of dissimilar monomer



United States Patent 2,991,269 PROCESS FOR PREPARING BLOCK COPOLYMERS BY DEGRADING A PREFORMED POLYMER IN THE PRESENCE OF DISSIMILAR MONOMER Kenzie Nozaki, El Cerrito, Calif., assignor to Shell Oil Company, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Filed Feb. 21, 1956, Ser. No. 566,774 11 Claims. (Cl. 260-455) This invention relates to the polymerization of polymerizable organic compounds. More particularly, the invention relates to a new process for preparing a new type of copolymer, and to the copolymers produced thereby.

Specifically, the invention provides a practical and economical method for preparing new copolymers having unique molecular structure and unobvious properties which comprises adding a preformed linear polymer which is substantially free of carbon-to-carbon unsaturation and having a molecular weight of at least 50,000 to a liquid medium containing an ethylenically unsaturated monomer which is dissimilar to the monomer unit contained in the preformed polymer and then subjecting the resulting mixture in an inert atmosphere to mechanical agitation to break the said preformed linear polymer.

The invention further provides a new type of copolymer produced by the above-noted process wherein the macromolecules are made up of two difierent linear segments joined in a substantially end to end arrangement through primary chemical bonds, the first segment being that derived from the preformed linear polymer noted above by breaking the polymer chains and the other segment being made up of polymerized monomers containing at least one ethylenic group, at least one of said monomers being dissimilar to the monomer unit which makes up the said linear polymer.

Attempts have been made in the past to improve the properties of many of the homopolymers of the unsaturated monomers by copolymerizing the said monomers with various dissimilar compounds, the homopolymers of which display the desired superior properties. These copolymers have been prepared heretofore by merely mixing the unsaturated compound with the desired dissimilar monomer and then subjecting the resulting mixture to polymerization conditions, such as heat, light and catalysts. When combined under these conditions, the two monomers usually add to the polymer chain in a more or less random fashion and the resulting polymer chains are made up of a very complicated arrangement of the two kinds of monomers. Copolymers prepared from monomers A and B, for example, will have the A and B units arranged in some such order as ABAABBBABBAABB This method of producing the desired copolymers is not entirely satisfactory. It has been found, for example, that when the monomer units are distributed throughout the polymer chains in the above-described manner they fail to impart the properties of their corresponding homopolymers and the resulting copolymers in many cases possess an entirely diiferent set of properties. Furthermore, as there is no definite control over the order in which the monomers add to the polymer chain, the copolymers produced by this process rarely, if ever, have the same molecular structure or physical properties and standardization of the copolymers and their applications is quite diflicult.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a process for producing a new kind of copolymer. It is a further object to provide a process for preparing copolymers which possess many of the characteristic properties 2,991,269 Patented July 4, 1961 ICC of the homopolymers of the individual monomers making up the said copolymer. It is a further object to provide a copolymerization process which yields substantially the same type of product in each operation. It is a further object to provide a method for preparing a new type of copolymer having many unusual and beneficial properties. It is a further object to provide a method for preparing internally plasticized polymers of the monomers which generally form hard, brittle homopolymers. It is a further object to provide novel segmented copolymers having unexpected properties as detergents, dispersing agents and the like. It is a further object to provide a copolymerization process that can be accomplished without the use of catalysts and relatively high temperatures. It is a further object to provide a copolymerization process that is easily controlled and yields copolymers having a more uniform molecular weight. It is a further object to provide a polymerization process that will effect copolymerization between monomers that have heretofore been extremely diificult, if not impossible, to combine together. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof.

It has now been discovered that these and other objects may be accomplished by the process of the invention which comprises adding a preformed linear polymer which is substantially free of carbon-to-carbon unsaturation and has a molecular weight of at least 50,000 to a liquid medium containing an ethylenically unsaturated monomer which is dissimilar to the monomer unit contained in the preformed polymer, and then subjecting the resulting mixture in an inert atmosphere to mechanical agitation to degrade the said preformed polymer. This process is based on the unexpected discovery that when a linear polymer of high enough molecular weight is subjected to a mechanical agitation treatment of considerable intensity, the polymer chains are broken to form polymer free radicals and when polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomers are brought in contact with these free radicals, there is an addition of the said monomers to the polymer chains. The resulting copolymers thus possess an entirely diiferent structure from the abovedescribed conventional type polymers. The copolymers prepared by the process of the invention are made up of one section of the inducing polymer joined to a section of a polymer of the dissimilar monomer. Thus, the copolymer prepared by this process from an inducing polymer of A in monomer B may be represented as having the structure AAAAAABBBBBBBBB.

The different molecular structure of the copolymers of the present invention as discussed above endows them with properties which are entirely difierent from those possessed by the conventional copolymers. As indicated example, possess the characteristics of both polystyrene and polymethacrylonitrile.

An important application of the process of the invention is its use in the production of internally plasticized polymers, i.e., polymers wherein the plasticizer is joined to the polymer through a primary chemical bond. The

production of this type of polymer is accomplished by selecting as the inducing polymer, i.e., the preformed polymer, a polymer which is softer and more flexible than t the polymer of the added monomer, such as polyvinyl acetate, and using as the added monomer a compound which would ordinarily form a hard, brittle polymer, such as vinyl chloride, or the inducing polymer selected may be one that is hard and brittle and the added monomer may be one that forms the softer, more flexible polymer. In either case, the resulting product is a polymer that possesses substantially all the desired properties of the brittle polymer and the flexibility of the soft, flexible polymer. As the plasticizer is chemically bound in the molecule, there is no danger of its loss through migration or volatilization.

A further important application of the process of the invention is its use in the preparation of polymers having unexpected solution behavior. Polymers having the unexpected property of having solubility in both water and .oil may be obtained by the novel process, for example, by employing as the inducing polymer a hydrocarbon polymer, such as polyisobutylene, polystyrene, etc, and as the unsaturated monomer a compound having groups that have water soluble characteristics or could be converted to groups having water soluble characteristics, such as vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate, and the like, or alternatively by employing a polymer having water soluble characteristics or being able to be converted to a water soluble polymer as the inducing agent, and the hydrocarbon component as the unsaturated monomer. Copolymers prepared in this manner are particularly useful as detergents and as dispersing agents for preparing suspensions and emulsions of various components, such as metal oxides, that will not be precipitated either in aqueous or hydrocarbon systems.

Still another important application of the process of the invention is its use in the production of copolymers from monomers that have heretofore never been able to be polymerized together. By the use of the process of the invention, for example, it is now possible to copolymerize components, such as cellulose derivatives, linear polyamides, polyesters, and monomeric compounds as isobutylene, ethylene, and the like, with many components with which they have heretofore never been able to be combined.

Additional advantage of the process is found in the fact that it may be accomplished in the absence of catalysts and relatively high temperature yieldsproduots of higher quality and more uniform molecular weight.

The copolymers of the present invention are distinguished in structure and properties from the copolymers prepared by forming aprepolymer of a polyethylenically unsaturated monomer, such as piperylene, and then polymerizing another monomer at the remaining unsaturation in the prepolymer molecule. As the unsaturated prepolymer will possess unsaturated linkages in the main chain, such as and/ or in the side chains, such as =oH, the resulting copolymer will always have the dissimilar monomers adding on at the side of the main polymer chain and the product will be a highly branched copolymer having a structure, such as -AAAAA-A-A wherein A is the monomer unit derived from the polyunsaturated compound and B is the monomer unit of the dissimilar monomer.

The copolymersprepared from the prepolymers of the polyunsaturated compounds, such as piperylene, as described above, will not have any of the superior properties of the segmented copolymers of the present invention. Such copolymers will have the dissimilar monomers distributed along the main polymer chain and the properties will generally be the same as those of the conventional copolymer which are prepared by mixing the monomers at the beginning of the polymerization. Further, copolymers prepared from the prepolymers of the polyunsaturated compounds will be highly branched and thus have higher viscosity and poorer solubility and compatibility characteristics than the unbranched polymers as shown in the example at the end of the specification.

The preformed polymer to be used in the process of the invention may be any polymer which has a linear structure, i.e., is not cross-linked, and is substantially free of aliphatic carbon-to-carbon unsaturated linkages, i.e., unable to undergo further polymerization with unsaturated monomers when heated in the presence of peroxide catalysts. As noted above, the preformed polymer .undergoes polymerization in the present process by means of free radicals formed when the polymer is broken, and the polymerization is not due to the presence of any unsaturated linkage in the molecule itself.

The preformed polymer may be one that occurs naturally or one that has been produced synthetically. The polymer may be a homopolymer, copolymer, or interpolymer. If the preformed polymers are synthetic they may be produced by any suitable method. They may be produced, for example, by addition reactions, condensation reactions, and the like. The reactions may be energized if desired by light and/ or heat and may be accomplished in the presence of any type polymerization catalyst, such as peroxides, peracids, persalts, peresters, metals, inorganic salts, Friedel-Crafts type catalysts and the like. The polymers may be prepared by bulk polyrneridation, in a solvent solution or in an aqueous emulsion or aqueous suspension. Polymers prepared by a previous operation of the process of the present invention may also be utilized.

Examples of the preformed polymers that may be used in the process of the invention are cellulose esters and cellulose ethers, such as cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, cellulose propion-ate butyrate, cellulose acetobutyrate, ethyl cellulose, butyl cellulose, and propyl cellulose; phenol aldehyde condensation polymers, such as phenolformaldehyde polymers, phenol-acetaldehyde polymers, and resorcinol-formaldehyde polymers; polysulfide polymers, and the like; the vinyl polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, and the like; linear alkyd resins, such as the polyesters of glycol and phthalic acid, 1,3-pentanediol and succinic acid, glycol and glutaric acid, and the like; linear polyamides, such as the one obtained by reacting tn'methyladipic acid with hexamethylenediamine; polymers of ethylene oxide and tetrahydrofuran; polymers of the carbonic acid esters of the unsaturated diols, such as butadiene-3,4 carbonate, polymers of the unsaturated esters of the unsaturated acids, such as diethyl fumarate, diethyl maleate, and the like.

A preferred group of preformed relatively high molecular weight, linear polymers to be used in the process of the invention are the homopolymers, copolymers and interpolymers of the polymerizable olefinic compounds containing a C=C group such as the polymers of maleic acid and maleic acid esters, tetrahaloethylenes, vinyl-type compounds, etc. Particularly preferred are the polymers of monomers containing at least one CH =C group. Examples of the polymers of monomers containing at least one CH =C= group are the polymers of isobutylene, ethylene, propylene, octene-l, the aromatic compounds, such as styrene, alpha-methylstyrene, dichlorostyrene, vinyl naphthalene, vinyl phenol and the like. Other examples are the polymers of the unsaturated acids. such as acrylic acid and the alpha-alkyl substituted acrylic acids, such asalpba-methyl acrylic acid and alpha-butyl acrylic acid, the polymers of the esters of these unsaturated acids, such as methylacrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, and propyl acrylate; the polymers of the vinylidenehalides, such as vinylidene'chloride and vinylidene bromide; the polymers of the vinyl esters of inorganic acids, such as the halogen acids, and hydrocyanic acid, as vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile; polymers of the vinyl esters of the monocarboxylic acids, such as vinyl acetate, vinyl chloroacetate, vinyl benzoate, vinyl laurate, vinyl valerate, and vinyl caproate; the polymers of the vinyl ethers, such as vinyl ethyl ether, and the vinyl ketones, such as vinyl butyl ketone, and vinyl ethyl ketone.

Especially preferred preformed polymers to beused in the process of the invention are the relatively high molecular weight linear polymers of the compounds of the group consisting of the vinylidene halides, acrylic acid and alpha-alkyl substituted acrylic acids wherein the alkyl radicals contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the alkyl esters of acrylic acids and alpha-alkyl substituted acrylic acids wherein the alkyl radical in the. alcohol portion of the ester radical contains from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and the alkyl radical substituted on the acrylic acid contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the vinyl esters of the saturated monocarboxylic acids containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, the vinyl esters of the halogen acids, isobutylene, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, ethacrylonitrile, styrene, and alpha-methylstyrene. Examples of this particularly preferred group of preformed polymers are polyvinylidene chloride; polyvinyl bromide, polyvinyl fluoride, polymethyl methacrylate, polymethacrylonitrile, polyisobutyl ene, polyacrylic acid, polyethacrylic acid, polyethyl acrylate, polybutyl acrylate, polystyrene, polymethylstrene, a copolymer of 10% vinyl chloride and 90% vinylidene chloride, a copolymer of 25% methacrylonitrile and 75% methyl methacrylate, a copolymer of 40% styrene and 60% vinyl chloride, a copolymer of 50% vinyl fluoride and 50% ethacrylonitrile, and interpolymer of 5% methyl methacrylate, 30% methylstyrene and 60% methacrylonitrile, an interpolymer of 30% vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride and 50% methyl methacrylate, and an in terpolymer of 3% vinyl acetate, 40% vinyl butyrate, 30% methyl methacrylate, and 27% methacrylonitrile.

In case the process of the invention is to be used for the production of internally plasticized polymers as described above, the preformed polymers to be utilized may be those polymers which are softer, more flexible than the preformed high molecular weight linear polymer. Examples of such polymers are the polymers of methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl butyrate, vinyl chloroacetate, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, octyl methacrylate, n-dodecyl methacrylate, and methyl vinyl ketone.

Coming under special consideration as the linear polymer to be used in the process of the invention are the polymers of the aliphatic monoethylenically unsaturated compounds containing from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, such as ethylene, isobutylene, octene-l, and the like, and mixtures thereof. The polymers of isobutylene are particularly preferred as the copolymers prepared therefrom are especially unique. While in some cases it has been possible to add a few isobutylene monomer units to other monomers by the convention-a1 processes, the products have generally been liquid conglomerates of little practical utility. The process of the invention, however, enables one to obtain valuable copolymers of isobutylene containing a much higher number, e.g., 75, 100 or more, of isobutylene units. Such products are solid resins which can be utilized for many important industrial applications, such as in the preparation of coating compositions, adhesive and impregnating compositions, self-sustaining films, solid plastic articles, and the like.

The taforedescr-ibed isobutylene copolymers are generally prepared by utilizing as the inducing polymer, a relatively high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene,

suchas an isobutylene'homopolymer prepared by use of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst; and adding this polymer to the desired monomer as described hereinafter, such as the vin ylidene halides, the vinyl halides, the unsaturated nitriles, the alkenyl esters of the saturated monocarboxylic acids, the alkyl esters of the ethylenically unsaturated acids, and the vinyl aromatic compounds, and subjecting the resulting mixture to the desired mechanical treatment to break the polyisobutylene chains.

The molecular Weight of the preformed polymers should be sufiiciently high to permit a degradation of the polymer molecule when the said polymer is subjected to the subsequent agitation treatment. The molecular weight of the preformed polymers used in the process of the invention will, therefore, vary over a considerable range depending upon the ease with which the individual polymer may be degraded, the intensity of the agitation treatment, etc. In some cases polymers having molecular weights as low as 5x10 may be used in the process. In other cases polymers having a molecular weight as high as 9x10 or higher maybe used. The preferred polymers to be used in the process have molecular weights between 7.5 X 10 and 7x10 These molecular weights were determined by measuring the intrinsic viscosity of the polymer in solution and calculating the molecular weight as discussed by P. J. Flory in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 65, 372 (1943).

The monomers to be mixed with the above-described polymers may be any of the polymerizable organic compounds containing at least one polymerizable ethenoid group, i.e., organic compounds containing at least one polymerizable =C group. These polymerizable olefinic compounds may be exemplified by maleic and fumaric acids and their esters, the tetrahalo-ethylenes, the esters of the unsaturated diols, etc. Preferred polymerizable olefinic compounds to be employed in the process of the invention are the vinyl-type compounds, i.e., those polymerizable organic compounds containing at least one CH C group in their molecule. Examples of such monomers are the butadienes, such as butadiene-1,3 2,3-dimethylbutadiene-1,3, piperylene, isoprene, chloroprene, the aromatic compounds, such as styrene, alpha-methylstyrene, dichlorostyrene, vinyl naphthalene, vinyl phenol and the like. Other examples of the vinyl-type compounds are the unsaturated acids, such as acrylic acid and the alpha-alkyl substituted acrylic acids, such as alpha-methyl acrylic acid and alpha-butyl acrylic acid; the esters of these unsaturated acids, such as methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, and propyl acrylate; the vinylidene halides, such as vinylidene chloride and vinylidene bromide; the vinyl esters of inorganic acids, such as the halogen acids, and hydrocyanic acid, as vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile; the vinyl esters of the monocarboxylic acids, such as vinyl acetate, vinyl chloroacetate, vinyl benzoate, vinyl laurate, vinyl valerate, and vinyl caproate; the vinyl esters of the polycarboxylic acids, such as divinyl succinate, divinyl adipate, vinyl allyl phthalate, vinyl methallyl pimelate, and vinyl methyl glutarate; the vinyl esters of the unsaturated acids, such as vinyl acrylate, vinyl crotonate, and vinyl methacrylate; the vinyl ethers, such as vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl butyl ether, and vinyl allyl ether; and the vinyl ketones, such as vinyl butyl ketone, and vinyl ethyl ketone. The group also includes the allyl derivatives, such as the allyl esters of the monocarboxylic acids, as allyl acetate and allyl butyrate; the allyl esters of the polycarboxylic acids, such as diallyl phthalate, diallyl adipate, and diallyl succinate; the allyl esters of the inorganic acids, such as allyl chloride, methallyl chloride, etc.; the allyl esters of the unsaturated acids, such as allyl acrylate, allyl crotonate, and methallyl methacrylate, and the allyl ketones, allyl ethers, and the like.

A preferred group of vinyl-type compounds are the members of the group consisting of the vinylidene halides,

acrylic acid and alpha-alkyl substituted acrylic acids wherein the alkyl radical contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the alkyl esters of acrylic acid and alpha-alkyl substituted acrylic acids wherein the alkyl radical in the alcohol portion of the ester radical contains from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and the alkyl radical substituted on the acrylic acid contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the vinyl esters of the acrylic acid and alpha -alkyl substituted acrylic acid wherein the alkyl radical contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, the vinyl esters of the saturated monocarboxylic acids containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, the vinyl esters of the halogen acids, isobutylene, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, ethacrylonitrile, styrene, and alpha-methylstyrene. Examples of this preferred group of vinyl-type compounds are vinylidene chloride, vinylidene bromide, vinylidene iodide, methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl alpha-butyl acrylate, vinyl acrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl butyrate, vinyl methacrylate, and the like.

In case the monomer is to be added to produce a plasticizing effect on the resulting polymer the ones selected will be those which form polymers which are softer and more flexible than the preformed high molecular Weight, linear polymer, such as methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl butyrate, methyl acrylate, and the like.

The reaction is generally accomplished in a liquid medium. The monomer or monomers to be polymerized, if liquid, may themselves form the medium or inert liquids, such as water, organic solvents or diluents, such as benzene, cyclohexane, xylene, hexane, diheptyl ether, and the like, and mixtures thereof may be added to the reaction mixture. In most cases, it is preferred to use only the monomer as the reaction medium and to employ conditions to maintain the monomer in the liquid phase. The medium need not dissolve the polymer, but it has been found that better results are obtained if there is at least a partial dissolution of the polymer.

The quantity of the preformed inducing polymer to be added to the reaction may vary over a considerable range. In most instances, it is desirable to keep the amount of polymer at a relatively low level so that there will be more opportunity for the chains to be spread out and broken near the middle. If the medium becomes too concentrated with respect to the polymer, the polymer chains may become entangled and only those segments sticking out of the bundle may be broken. Preferably the polymer is employed in amounts varying from 0.5 to 10 parts per 100 parts of medium, and more preferably from 0.8 to parts per 100 parts of medium.

The amount of dissimilar monomer to be present in the reaction mixture will also vary over a wide range. If the monomer is employed as the liquid medium for the reaction, the amount of monomer will be relatively large in order to obtain the desired degree of dilution. In that case, the reaction may be stopped as soon as the desired amount of monomer has been added to the polymer chain. In case another reaction medium, such as an inert solvent is employed, the amount of monomer added will depend generally upon the amount of monomer that is to be added to the polymer chains.

Molecular oxygen will inhibit the polymerization reaction and it is usually desirable to remove the oxygen from the reaction chamber before the degradation is commenced. In the case of a few monomers, such as styrene, however, small quantities of oxygen may be tolerated. The removal of the oxygen may be accomplished by any suitable method. It is preferably accomplished by freezing the mixture of preformed polymer and monomer and evacuating the reaction chamber by means of a pump. In some cases it may be desirable to replace the withdrawn oxygen with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and the like.

The process of the invention may be accomplished in the presence or absence of light. As light has an acceler-ating elfect-on the polymerization of some types of 8 I monomers, it may be desirable in some cases to conduct the reaction in the presence of light in order to increase the polymerization rate. 1

The agitation treatment applied to the deoxy-genated reaction mixture may be any suitabletreatment which will apply sufiicient strain and tension on the bonds of the polymer to break the polymer chains. Mechanical treatments, such as shaking, high speed stirring, milling, grinding, gear and piston pumps, passage through filters and capillaries, are satisfactory. The degradation of the preformed polymer is preferably accomplished by passing the reaction mixture through variously designed throttle values, or narrow orifices at high linear velocity. For this purpose an enclosed system and a circulating gear pump or diaphragm pump capable of generating high hydrostatic pressures have proved very satisfactory. Another preferred method comprises subjecting ;the reaction mixture to high speed stirring, e.g., stirring at the. rate of about 4000 rpm.

The amount of shear stress to be applied to the reaction mixture will vary over a considerable range depending upon the type of polymer to be broken, e.g., whether it contains -CC, CS-, CO, S S, etc., bonds, the molecular weight of the polymer, the viscosity of the solution, etc, but it should be at least suflicient to break the linear polymer. The shear stress applied by the usual slight shaking or stirring of the containers in the laboratory is not sufiicient to bring about the desired degradation. -In general, the minimum shear stress applied to the solution should be that determined by the following formula wherein M.W. is the molecular weight of the linear polymer. Preferably with polymers having the main chain consisting chiefly of -CC, CS-, C-O, or SS bonds, which polymers are present in amounts varying from 0.5% to 10% by weight of the reactants, the minimum stress should be determined by the formula and more preferably wherein M.W. is the molecular weight of the linear polymer. Increasing the shear stress increases the formation of polymer free radicals and this in turn increases the rate of reaction, so faster reaction rates may be obtained by using shear stresses which are in considerable excess of those described above.

The temperature at which the process may be carried out may also vary considerably. In general temperatures ranging from 0 C. to 250 C. have proved satisfactory. Particularly preferred temperatures range between 0 C. and C. Atmospheric, superatmospheric, or subatrnospheric pressures may be used in the process as desired.

The polymers formed in the reaction may be recovered by any suitable means, such as filtration, solvent extraction, dehydration and the like.

The process of the invention may be executed in any convenient type apparatus enabling the maintenance of the proper conditions and the introduction of the various reactants. The process may be carried out in batch, semi-continuous or continuous manner. For large scale production it is preferred to conduct the process in a continuous manner. In such an operation the preformed polymer and monomer or monomers will be continuously added and the polymers continuously removed from the reaction mixture. The operation of the process in a continuousmanner is particularly desirable as such an operation' presents much-more stable conditions and the com- 9 positioniofthe resulting polymers is more uniform and ofbetter quality.

As described above, the copolymers produced by the process of the invention will generally be substantially colorless polymers having a uniform molecular weight. Plasticized compositions produced from the said polymers possess excellent strength and flexibility. The resins may be, cut, milled, machined to producethe various articles ofcomrnerce, such "as buttons, table tops, containers, and the like. In the molten or solvent solution the polymers, may be utilized in the preparation of impregnating agents, laminating agents, surface coatings, and the like. They may also be subjected to extrusion and to injection and compression molding in the presence or absence of added diluents and plasticizers. To illustrate the manner in which the invention may be carried out the following examples are given. It is to be understood, however, that the examples are for the purpose of illustration and the invention is not to be regarded as limited to any of the specific conditions cited therein. V

The deoxygenation of the preformed polymer-monomer mixture in the following examples was accomplished by freezing the said mixture in liquid nitrogen, evacuating on an oil pump, melting, and repeating the step three more times.

The apparatus used for shaking the reaction mixture in the examples below consisted of a cylindrical glass vessel (5.08 cm. in diameter and 12.7 cm. in length) joined on one side toa vertical spring-loaded rod that was in sliding contact with a cam eccentrically mounted on the shaft of an electric motor. When the motor was on, the vessel containing the reactionmixture moved back and forth through a distance of 11.5 cm.

In some of the examples cited below the polymeriza tion has beenconducted in the absence of light. This precaution was taken merely to indicate that the polymerization takingplace in the reaction mixture was not due to any accelerating effect of light.

Example I (a) About 10 parts of polymethacrylonitrile having a molecular weight of Z4 10 were mixed with about 2500'parts of acrylonitrile and the mixture deoxygenated. Tubescontaining the mixture were sealed in vacuo and a stress of.500.dynes/cm. appliedto the solution. This was doiie by moving the glass vessel containing the solu-' tion back and-forth over adistance of 11.5 cm. at the rate.of.300 times a minute. After shaking for 138 hours, l49i parts of copolymer had been obtained. This representedacopolymer made up of a segment of polymethacrylonitrile and a segment of polyacrylonitrile,

; b)- Thersame procedure as described in (a) was repeated using samples of polymethacrylonitrile having various molecular weights. The resultsare shown in the table below:

Poly ANA Shaking Total Poly )Molecular Weight MANJ parts Time; Polymer AN a, Q; parts. ,Hrs. v

sexin 10 2, 500 160 13s 12s 9.'2X10 50 2, 500 160 207 157 341x10 10 2, 500 160 44 34 3.4)(10- 50 2, 500 160 263 213 methacrylonitrile.

10 A sample containing 83.5% polyacrylonitrile was mixed with acetone. Less than 2% of the polymer was soluble in this solvent indicating that substantially all of the 16.5% polymethacrylonitrile was attached to the poly acrylonitrile.

Example 11 This example illustrates the difference in structure and properties of the new type copolymers of the present invention as compared to graft polymers prepared by simply heating a prepolymer of a polyethylenically unsaturated monomer such as butadiene, isoprene or piperylene, with a dissimilar monomer.

(A) 25 parts of natural rubber crepe having a molecular weight of about 500,000 are dissolved in 1500 parts of benzene and 1500 parts of styrene are added thereto. Tubes containing this mixture are sealed in vacuo, dark? ened and a stress of 500 dynes/cm. applied by shaking the tubes at room temperature as shown in Example I. After 200 hours, the shaking is stopped and the unreacted styrene and benzene solvent removed under vacu um. 50 parts of a solid copolymer containing a segment of polyisoprene (25 parts) to a segment of polystyrene (25 parts) isobtained. No separate homopolymer of styrene can be removed from the new copolymer by known solvent precipitation methods so all of the styrene must be attached to the copolymer.

(B) An old type graft copolymer is prepared as follows: 50 parts of the natural rubber crepe described in (A) above is combined with 50 parts of styrene in benzene and the mixture heated for 10 days at 100 C. Unpolymerized material is then removed along with the benzene. A solid thermoplastic polymeric composition is obtained. When subjected to solvent precipitation technique, a large part of the polymeric composition is recovered and identified as pure homopolymer of styrene.

(C) The new type copolymer prepared in (A) above is coin-pared with the polymer prepared in (B). The polymer prepared in (B) is much more brittle than the polymer prepared in (A) and has a low temperature brittle point of at least 15 C. below that of the polymer of (A). Further, the polymer of (B) is insoluble in hex ane which is a poor solvent for polystyrene homopolymer, While the polymer produced in (A) is soluble in that solvent.

This example demonstrates that to obtain the new type copolymer one must utilize polymers of high molecular weight, and that one cannot obtain the copolymers by simply exposing low molecular weight polymers, such as disclosed in US. 2,3l7,859, to mechanical agitation.

A piperylene prepolymer is prepared as follows: A piperylene fraction containing 85% piperylene is combined with toluene to reduce the piperylene concentration to about 25%. 5 percent by weight of boron-tri-fluoride diethyl ether is then added. The temperature of the mixture is maintained at -20 C. for 25 hours. The catalyst isthen hydrolyzed with'sodium carbonate and the polymer recovered. The resulting solid soluble polymer has a molecular weight of about 10,500.

25 parts of the polymer produced above is combined with 1500 parts of styrene and 1500 parts of benzene. Tubes containing the mixture are sealed in vacuo, darkened and a stress of 500 dynes/cm. applied by shaking at room temperature. After 200 hours of shaking, the reaction mixture is removed and separated into a fraction containing the initial polymer and substantially all of the initial unpolymerized styrene. There is no detectable formation of polystyrene in the initial polymer. This indicates that the initial polymer was not of sufiicient molecular weight to be broken into polymer free radicals.

Exposure of the above reaction mixture to ultrasonic radiations at a frequency of 500 kilocycles under the same conditions also fails to cause any formation of the new About parts of polymethacrylonitrile having a mol. weight of 5.4 10 are mixed with 1500 parts of mono meric vinylidene chloride and 1000 parts of cyclohexanone and the resulting mixture is deoxygenated. The mixture is then exposed to a stress of at least 500 dynes/ cm. by repeatedly forcing it at a pressure of about 1000 p.s.i through a unit containing a thin platinum sheet containing a single orifice which has a diameter between 0.005 in. to 0.01 in. to degrade the polymethacrylonitrile. In about 30 hours there is about a fold increase in the weight of the polymer. The product is identified as a polymer made up of a segment of polymethacrylonitrile joined to a segment of polyvinylidene chloride.

Example V About 10 parts of polymethylmethacrylate having a molecular weight of 8.7 l0 were added to 2500 parts of m'ethacrylonitrile and the mixture deoxygenated. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo and a stress of about 500 dynes/cm. applied to the mixture by shaking as noted in Example I at the rate of about 300 strokes a minute. This reaction required a much more vigorous shaking as the methacrylonitrile was a relatively poor solvent for polymethyl methacrylate. The resulting product was 72.4 parts of a copolymer made up of a segment of polymethyl methacrylate joined to a segment of polymetbacrylonitrile.

The above process was repeated using 2500 parts of acrylonitrile in place of the methacrylonitrile. In this case, the product was identified as a polymer comprising a segment of polymethyl methacrylate joined to a segment of polyacrylonitrile.

Example VI About 10 parts of polymethyl methacrylate having a molecular weight of 8.7x 10 were added to 2500 parts of styrene andthe mixture deoxygenated. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo, and then shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. The resulting product was 65 parts of a copolymer made up of a segment of polymethyl methacrylate joined to a segment of polystyrene.

Example VII About 6 parts of polystyrene having a molecular weight of 6.33 10 were added to 1500 parts of methyl methacrylate and 1500 parts of toluene. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo, darkened, and then shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. After about 120 hours of shaking 128 parts of a copolymer made up of a segment of polystyrene joined to a segment of polymethyl methacrylate were obtained.

Example VIII About 10 parts of polyvinyl acetate are added to 1500 parts of toluene and 1500 parts of vinyl chloride. Tubes containing the mixture are sealed in vacuo, darkened, and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. After 100 hours a large yield of a copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate is obtained. This internally plasticized copolymer is compared in properties and flexibility with a conventional copolymer of vinyl acetate and vinyl chloride. The internally plasticized copolymer possesses substantially the same flexibility as the conventional copolymer and in addition possesses many of the more desirable characteristic properties of polyvinyl chloride not possessed by the conventional copolymer.

Example IX 24 parts of polyisobutylene having a molecular weight of 2. 2 l0 prepared with a Friedel-Crafts catalyst at 80 C. were added to 1500 parts of styrene and 1500 12 parts of 'benzene. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo, darkened, and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. After hours of shaking 53 parts of a solid copolymer containing a segmentof polyisobutylene and 'a segment of polystyrene were obtained.

Example X About 8 parts of polyisobutylene having a molecular weight of 2.2)(10?- prepared with a Friedel-Crafts catalyst were added to 2000 parts of vinylidene chloride and the mixture deoxygenated. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo, darkened, and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. After one week of shaking 310 parts of a solid copolymer containing a segment of polyisobutylene and a segment of polyvinylidene chloride were obtained.

Example XI About 10 parts of polyisobutylene having a molecular weight of 2.2)(10 were added to about 2000 parts of acrylonitrile and 100 parts of cyclohexane and the resulting mixture deoxygenated. The mixture was then repeatedly passed through a narrow orifice between 0.005 inch and 0.01 inch as in Example II. At the end of 30 hours about 200 parts of a solid copolymer had been obtained. The copolymer contained about 25% of polyisobutylene and 75% acrylonitrile.

Example XII About 50 parts of polyisobutylene having a molecular weight of 2.2x 10 are added to about 2000 parts of vinyl acetate and 1000 parts of cyclohexane and the resulting mixture deoxygenated. The mixture is then repeatedly passed through a narrow orifice as shown in Example II. At the end of about 24 hours, a yield of 200 parts of copolymer had been obtained. The resulting product made up of a segment of polyisobutylene joined to a segment of polyvinyl acetate is then subjected to mild hydrolysis to convert the acetate groups to hydroxyl groups. The hydrolyzed copolymer shows unusual solubility characteristics as it has solubility in both water and oil.

Example XIII About 50 parts of polymethyl methacrylate having a molecular weight of about 7.2)(10 were mixed with 200 parts of vinyl chloride, and the mixture deoxygenated. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo, darkened, and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. At the end of 8 days of shaking, 215 parts of a solid copolymer comprising 50 parts of polymethyl methacrylate and parts of polyvinyl chloride were obtained.

The copolymer possesses many of the physical and chemical properties of the polyvinyl chloride alone, and can be processed without the addition of any plasticizer to form flexible resins.

Example XIV About 50 parts of polymethyl acrylate prepared by polymerizing 1 volume of monomer per 3 volumes of water containing .3% sodium lauryl sulfate and no catalyst (molecular weight approximately 500,000) were added to 2100 parts of vinyl chloride and the mixture deoxygenated. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo and shaken at 330 strokes per minute at room temperature. 420 parts of a copolymer containing a segment of polymethyl acrylate and a segment of polyvinyl chloride were obtained.

This process was repeated using 2100 parts of acrylonitrile in the place of vinyl chloride. In this case the re.- sulting product was a polymer comprising a segment of polymethyl acrylate joined to a segment of polyacrylonitrile.

Example XV About 10 parts of polyvinyl chloride having a molecular weight of 4.2)(10 were added to 1000 parts of methyl vinyl ketone and 100 parts of cyclohexanone and the mixture deoxygenated. Tubes containing the mixture were sealed in vacuo and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. 298 parts of a solid copolymer containing a segment of polyvinyl chloride and a segment of polymethyl vinyl ketone were obtained.

Example XVI An 0.4% solution of polymethacrylonitrile having a molecular weight of 5.4)( in acrylonitrile was deoxygenated by bubbling with oxygen-free nitrogen and sealed under a nitrogen pressure. The tubes containing the mixture were treated with ultrasonic radiation at a frequency of 500 kilocycles for fifteen minutes. The resulting product was a solid copolymer containing a segment of polymethacrylonitrile and a segment of polyacrylonitrile.

Example X VII About 20 parts of a conventional copolymer of 25% vinyl chloride and 75% methacrylonitrile (molecular weight approximately 5x10 are added to 100 parts of methyl methacrylate, 200 parts of cyclohexanone and the mixture dexoygenated. Tubes containing the mixture are sealed in vacuo and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. The resulting product is an interpolymer containing a segment of poly-(vinyl chloridemethacrylonitrile) and a segment of polymethylmethacrylate.

14 and hexamethylenediamine (molecular weight approximately 1x10 are added to 500 parts of acrylonitrile and 200 parts of cyclohexanone and the resulting mixture stirred at 4000 r.p.m. at 20 C. At the end of 2 hours a large yield of a copolymer made up of a segment of a ployrneric react-ion product of trimethyladipic acid and hexamethylenediarnine joined to a segment of polyacrylo nitrile is obtained.

7 Example XXII About 20 parts of ethyl cellulose are added to 500 parts of methyl methacrylate and 200 parts of cyclohexanone and the resulting mixture stirred at 4000 r.p.m. at 725 C. A copolymer made up of a segment of ethyl cellulose and a segment of polymethyl methacrylate is obtained as the final product.

Example XXIII Weight oi Weight of Weight of Weight of M01. Weight of Original Polymer Polymer Polymer Polymer and Monomer Used in the Polymer Polymer after in Control formed by the Polymerization in Col. 1 shown in 1 week Sample shaking Col. 1 of shaking which was (001. 4 less not shaken Col. 3and 5) Polgmethyl methacrylate'vinylidene ehlo- 8.7)(10 0. 20 3. 13 0 2. 85

Polymethyl aorylate-vinylidene chloride..- approx. 6x10 0. 20 1. 07 0. 08 0. 79 Polystyrene-vinylidene chloride 633x10 0. 20 4. 87 0. 08 4. 59

Example XVIII Example XIX 10 parts of polymethyl methacrylate having a molecular Weight of 8.7)(10 were added to a mixture of 500 parts acrylonitrile and 500 parts of vinylidene chloride. The resulting mixture is deoxygenated and shaken at 330 strokes a minute at room temperature. The resulting product is an interpolymer containing a segment of polymethyl methacrylate joined to a segment of a copolymer of acrylonitrile and vinylidene chloride.

Example XX 8 parts of polymethacrylonitrile having a molecular weight of 5.4 10 were added to 1000 parts of acrylonitrile and the resulting mixture was stirred at 4000 r.p.m. at 10 C. At the end of minutes, 13.4 parts of a solid copolymer containing a segment of polymethacrylonitrile joined to a segment of polyacrylonitrile was obtained. At the end of 90 minutes, the amount of copolymer had increased to 17.8 parts.

Example XXI 10 parts of a linear polyamide of trimethyladipic acid This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 270,278, filed February 6, 1952, now abandoned, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 60,416, filed November 16, 1948, now abandoned.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process for producing a new type copolymer which comprises adding a preformed linear polymer which is free of aliphatic-carbon-to-carbon unsaturation and has a molecular Weight of at least 50,000 to a liquid reaction medium containing at least one monomer possessing a CH =C group, at least one of the said monomers being dissimilar to a monomer unit contained in the said linear polymer, and subjecting the resulting mixture in an inert atmosphere to mechanical agitation to break the said preformed linear polymer.

2. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the monomeric polymerizable organic compound is a liquid monomer containing a single CH =C= group.

3. A process for producing a new type copolymer which comprises adding a preformed linear polymer of a monomer containing an ethylenic C=C group, which polymer is free of aliphatic carbon-to-carbon unsaturation and has a molecular weight of between 1X 10 and 9 l0 to a liquid reaction medium containing a monomeric organic compound containing a CH =C== group, which monomer is dissimilar to the monomer unit making up the said linear polymer and then subjecting the resulting mixture in an inert atmosphere to mechanical agitation which by itself cannot initiate polymerization of said monomeric organic compound containing an ethylenic C=C group, so as to degrade the said preformed polymer.

15 4. A process as in N claim 3 wherein the mechanical agitation .is suificient to furnish a shear stress of at least that determined by the formula wherein .M.W. is the molecular weight of the preformed polymer.

5. A process as in claim 3 wherein the molecular weight of the linear polymer is at least 500,000.

6. A process as in claim 3 wherein the preformed linear polymer is a polymer of isobutylene.

'7. A process as in claim 3 wherein the linear polymer is a homopolymer of isobutylene and the monomeric compound is vinylidene chloride.

8. A process as in claim 3 wherein the linear polymer is a homopolymer of isobutylene and the monomeric compound is vinyl acetate.

9. A process as in claim 3 wherein the linear polymer is a homopolymer of methyl methacrylate and the monomeric compound is vinyl chloride.

10. A process comprising adding a preformed saturated linear polymer of a monomer containing a single CH =C= group having a molecular weight above 100,000 to a liquid reaction mixture containing a monomer possessing a CH =C= and is dissimilar to the monomer unit contained in the preformed polymer to mechanical agitation in an inert atmosphere so as to expose the mixture to a shear stress of at least 500 dynes/cm. and thereby break the preformed polymer.

11. A process for preparing a new type copolymer which comprises adding a preformed linear polymer of methacrylonitrile having a molecular weight of at least 16 100,000 to aliquid medium containing acrylom' trile, and subjecting the resulting mixture to mechanical "agitation so .as to efiect *ashear stress ofat least 5.00 dynes/cmfi.

5 References Cited in the file of patent v v UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,959 Lawson et a1. Oct. 9, 1934 2,123,599 Fikentscher et al July 12, 1938 2,169,250 Izard Aug. 15, 1939 r 2,224,663 Berg et al. Dec. 10, 1940 2,317,859 Soday Apr. 27, 1943 2,538,779 Harrison et al. Jan. 23, 1951 2,614,089 Harrison et al. Oct. 14, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 999,594 France Oct. 3, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES 

1. A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A NEW TYPE COPOLYMER WHICH COMPRISES ADDING A PREFORMED LINEAR POLYMER WHICH IS FREE OF ALIPHATIC-CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATION AND HAS A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 50,000 TO A LIQUID REACTION MEDIUM CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE MONOMER POSSESSING A CH2=C<GROUP, AT LEAST ONE OF THE SAID MONOMERS BEING DISSIMILAR TO A MONOMER UNIT CONTAINED IN THE SAID LINEAR POLYMER, AND SUBJECTING THE RESULTING MIXTURE IN AN INERT ATMOSPHERE TO MECHANICAL AGITATION TO BREAK THE SAID PREFORMED LINEAR POLYMER. 